Beverage coaster

ABSTRACT

A beverage coaster including a housing and a volume of coolant. The housing has a base portion and a tubular portion that define a beverage container receiving space and a housing cavity in which the volume of coolant is disposed so that thermal energy of a beverage transfers from the beverage to the volume of coolant to maintain the beverage in a cool state.

BACKGROUND

Beverage coasters are well-known articles used to rest beverages on. The primary purpose of beverage coasters is to protect the table surfaces or other surfaces on which a beverage is placed from heat and condensation. Beverage coasters are typically fabricated of wood, cardboard, plastic, vinyl, stone, or other material and can be simple or decorative in design. For example, bars often serve cold beverages accompanied by a paper beverage coaster that absorbs the condensation of the beverage container and which may depict a company's logo, other advertisement, or decorations.

Koozies, on the other hand, are used to insulate a beverage from heat and are often formed as a closed-end cylinders designed to slide around a beverage container. Koozies effectively reduce the rate at which a beverage warms. However, because they are merely passive insulators, they do not cause thermal energy to be withdrawn from the beverage being consumed in a way that causes the temperature of the beverage to be maintained.

Methods for keeping a beverage in a cold state include placing ice in the beverage. However, not all beverages are suitable for adding ice. For example, ice is generally not added to beer because the ice dilutes its composition and flavor. Nonetheless, most people, at least in the United States, prefer to consume their beer cold.

Other methods used to keep a beverage in a cold state include pouring the beverage in a glass that has been placed in a freezer after washing and without drying. Such a glass is commonly referred to as a “frosted glass.” The layer of ice that forms on a frosted glass maintains the beverage in a cooler state longer due to the transfer of thermal energy from the beverage to the cooler frosted glass. However, the layer of ice is thin and quickly melts causing the benefits of a frosted glass to be short lived.

Attempts have been made to solve some of these deficiencies in beverage cooling methods. The prior art includes devices that act as coasters and provide enhanced temperature maintenance through the use of cooling substances located at the base or center of the coaster. However, these devices are either limited to cooling the bottom-most portion of a beverage or do not adequately support a beverage container positioned on the coaster or cooling device. Additionally, prior art devices are complex and often involve multiple parts which are cumbersome to handle and clean.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more implementations described herein and, together with the description, explain these implementations. The drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale, and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated, to scale, or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness. Not every component may be labeled in every drawing. Like reference numerals in the figures may represent and refer to the same or similar element or function. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage coaster constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the beverage coaster.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts in detail, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts are not limited in their application to the details of construction, experiments, exemplary data, and/or the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts are capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

In the following detailed description of embodiments of the inventive concepts, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the inventive concepts. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements or steps is not necessarily limited to only those elements or steps and may include other elements, steps, or features not expressly listed or inherently present therein.

Unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by anyone of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the inventive concepts. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

Throughout this disclosure and the claims, the terms “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially” are intended to signify that the item being qualified is not limited to the exact value specified, but includes some slight variations or deviations therefrom, caused by measuring error, manufacturing tolerances, stress exerted on various parts, wear and tear, or combinations thereof, for example.

The use of the term “at least one” will be understood to include one as well as any quantity more than one, including but not limited to each of, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, and all integers therebetween. The term “at least one” may extend up to 100 or 1000 or more, depending on the term to which it is attached; in addition, the quantities of 100/1000 are not to be considered limiting, as higher limits may also produce satisfactory results. Singular terms shall include pluralities and plural terms shall include the singular unless indicated otherwise.

The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to all permutations and/or combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof” is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important in a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, AAB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.

Finally, as used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment, although the inventive concepts disclosed herein are intended to encompass all combinations and permutations including one or more of the features of the embodiments described herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, one version of a beverage coaster 10 constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein is illustrated. The beverage coaster 10 includes a housing 12 configured to support a beverage container, such as beverage container 14 (depicted in FIG. 1), and a volume of coolant 15 (FIG. 2) disposed in the housing 12 so that thermal energy of a beverage contained in the beverage container transfers from the beverage to the volume of coolant to maintain the beverage in a cool state.

The housing 12 may be formed of a suitable plastic and includes a base portion 16 and a tubular potion 18. The base portion 16 has a bottom wall 20, a plurality of side walls 22, a peripheral top wall 24, and an interior top wall 26 which cooperate to define a base cavity 27 (FIG. 2). In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the base portion 16 is constructed in the shape of a square. However, it should be appreciated that the base portion 16 may be constructed in a variety of shapes, including but not limited to, rectangles, stars, circles, ovals, diamonds, pentagons, and hexagons. In one embodiment, a plurality of feet 28 are affixed to the bottom wall 20 of the base portion 16 to prevent the housing 12 from damaging various surfaces when the beverage coaster 10 is in use. While four feet 28 are shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, any different number of feet may be provided depending on the shape of the base portion 16. Also, it will be understood that the feet may be attached to the base portion 16 or may be formed as a part of the base portion 16.

The tubular portion 18 extends from the base portion 16 and has an inner wall 30, an outer wall 32, and a rim 34 which cooperate to define a tubular cavity 35 (FIG. 2). The inner wall 30 and the outer wall 32 extend from the interior top wall 26 and the periphery top wall 24 of the base portion 16, respectively. The outer wall 32 of the tubular portion 18 is spaced a distance inwardly from the side walls 22 of the base portion 16. The distance between the outer wall 32 of the tubular portion 18 and the side walls 22 of the base portion 16 facilitates supporting a beverage container filled with a beverage. To further create an effective support for a beverage container filled with a beverage, the ratio of the height of the tubular portion 18 to the width of the base portion 16 may be at least about 1:3.

The inner wall 30 of the tubular portion 18 cooperates with the interior top wall 26 of the base portion to define a beverage container receiving space 36. The beverage container receiving space 36 may be formed so that the bottom and at least a portion of the side of a beverage container is in surface-to-surface contact with the inner wall 30 of the tubular portion 18 and the interior top wall 26 of the base portion 16 to enhance thermal communication between the coolant 15 and a beverage when the beverage container is positioned in the beverage container receiving space 36. By way of example, the beverage container receiving space 36 may be tapered to conform to the tapered shape of the beverage container 14 (FIG. 1).

To further enhance thermal communication between the coolant 15 and a beverage, the tubular portion 18 is formed to have a height so that the tubular portion 18 extends at least about one fourth of the beverage container 14. However, the tubular portion 18 can be formed to have a variety of heights so that the tubular portion 18 extends less than or more than one fourth of the height of the beverage container.

It should also be appreciated that the construction of the tubular portion 18 is not limited to a cylindrical tube (as shown in FIG. 1) but can be constructed in the shape of square tube or a hexagonal tube or any other tube constructed to receive a beverage container through an open distal end.

Referring to FIG. 2, the base portion 16 and the tubular portion 18 are configured such that the base cavity 27 of the base portion 16 and the tubular cavity 35 of the tubular portion 18 are in fluid communication with one another so as to define a housing cavity 38. The coolant 15 is disposed in the housing cavity 38 in a volume sufficient to substantially fill the housing cavity 38. The coolant 15 is characterized by the property of absorbing sufficient thermal energy when chilled to maintain a beverage in cool state and may consist of material such as, but not limited to, a liquid or fluid, such as water, gels, or any other aqueous solutions with cold retention properties. The coolant 15 may be formulated to have different freezing points or may be formulated so that the coolant remains malleable at temperatures as low as 0° F., by way of example.

The volume of coolant 15 may be injected or inserted into the housing 12 through an opening into the housing 12. After the volume of coolant 15 is inserted in the housing 12, it may be sealed within the housing cavity 38 by a variety of methods including inserting a plasticized plug or other suitable structure in the opening and thereafter securing the plug in the opening with a non-toxic adhesive, by sonic welding, heat fusion radio frequency, or the like.

In use, the volume of coolant 15 may be cooled to reach a frozen or near frozen state by placing the beverage coaster 10 in a freezer so that the beverage coaster 10 has an overall temperature that is lower than the temperature of a beverage disposed in the beverage container 14 and that is lower than the temperature of the beverage container 14. Thermal energy of the beverage and the beverage container 14 therefore transfers from the beverage and the beverage container 14 to the coolant 15 disposed in the housing cavity 38 of the beverage coaster 10. The withdrawal of thermal energy from the beverage and the beverage container 14 along with the simultaneous absorption of thermal energy by the coolant 15 disposed in the housing cavity 38 maintains the beverage in a cool state.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bottom wall 20 of the base portion 16 may include a groove 46 for receiving a rim of a tubular portion of a like beverage coaster. When two or more housings are stacked upon one another, a rim of a tubular portion of a first housing engages with the groove on a bottom wall of a base portion of a second housing. The groove 46 facilitates the stacking and efficient storing of multiple beverage coasters. For example, multiple beverage coasters may be stacked in a freezer where multiple beverage coasters 10 may be chilled. Stacking reduces the amount of space used in the freezer and thus increases the number of beverage coasters that may be stacked in a freezer at one time. By reducing the amount of space it takes to cool or freeze a number of beverage coasters, a restaurant establishment, for example, may employ an increased number of beverage coasters to accommodate an increased number of beverages consumed by its patrons.

The housing 12 may be customized with various indicia as the user desires. Indicia may be imprinted on the bottom wall 20, the side wall 22, the peripheral top wall 24, or the interior top wall 26 of the base portion 16, or it may be imprinted on the inner wall 30, the outer wall 32, or the rim 34 of the tubular portion 18. Indicia may be imprinted on multiple locations on the housing 12 or on a single location. If indicia are imprinted on multiple locations, the indicia may or may not be related. For example, a restaurant establishment may place its restaurant logo on the interior top wall 24 of the base portion 16 and its slogan along the side wall 26 of the base portion 16.

Because the housing 12 is formed as a one-piece unit, it may be easily handled, transported, and stored and may be easily cleaned by hand or in a dishwasher. For example, a restaurant establishment should appreciate the simple construction of the housing 12 because time may be saved when handling a single integral piece that easily fits into a dishwasher and that does not require the assembling or dissembling of multiple parts.

From the above description, it is clear that the present inventive concept is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. While exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventive concept disclosed and claimed herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A beverage coaster, comprising: a housing having a base portion, a tubular portion, and a housing cavity defined by the base portion and the tubular portion, the base portion having a bottom wall, at least one side wall, a peripheral top wall, and an interior top wall, the tubular portion having an inner wall, an outer wall, and a rim, the inner wall and the outer wall extending from the peripheral top wall and the interior top wall of the base portion, respectively, with the outer wall of the tubular portion spaced a distance inwardly from the side wall of base portion, the inner wall of the tubular portion cooperating with the interior top wall of the base portion to define a beverage container receiving space; and a volume of coolant disposed in the housing sufficient to substantially fill the housing cavity so that when a beverage container containing a beverage is in the beverage receiving space, the beverage is in thermal communication with the volume of coolant such that thermal energy of the beverage transfers from the beverage to the volume of coolant to maintain the beverage in a cool state.
 2. The beverage coaster of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of the housing is provided with a plurality of feet affixed to the bottom wall of the base portion of the housing.
 3. The beverage coaster of claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of the base portion of the housing has a groove for receiving a rim of a like beverage coaster.
 4. The beverage coaster of claim 1, wherein the beverage container receiving space is tapered.
 5. The beverage coaster of claim 1, wherein the tubular portion has a height, wherein the base portion has a width, and wherein the ratio of the height to the width is at least about 1:3. 